Control wire dispenser for a guided missile



May 16, 1967 J. c. SIMPSON ETAL 1 CONTROL WIRE DISPENSER FOR A GUIDED MISSILE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 16, 1965 INVENTORS Jhmes C. SIMPSON.

HENRY G. WELLS.

AT Tony s y 1967 J. c. SIMPSON ETAL 3,319,781

CONTROL WIRE DISPENSER FOR A GUIDED MISSILE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 16, 1965 FIG. 5.

Fla. 6.

\NVENTQRS James C. SuMPsoN HENRY G. wens.

w lmqcm, wv mn ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,319,781 CONTRUL WIRE DISPENSER FOR A GUIDED MISSILE .l'arnes Charles Simpson, Baldoclr, and Henry George Wells, Stevenage, England, assignors to British Aircraft Corporation (Operating) Limited, London, England, a company of Great Britain Filed Nov. 16, 1965, Ser. No. 508,024 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Nov. 17, 1964, 46,856/64 4 Claims. (Cl. 20659) This invention relates to guided missiles of the type which are controlled in flight by signals transmitted from a control station, usually on the ground, to the missiles through control wires trailing behind the missiles.

In such missiles is is necessary for the main supply of control wire leads to be carried by the missile and to be withdrawn rearwardly from the missile as required, so that the trailing leads are substantially stationary in the air and the length of trailing wire which has been paid out does not hinder changes of course of the missile in flight, as would be the case if the supply of control wire were housed at the control station and the wire were drawn off from this stationary supply by the flying missile as required. United States of America patent application No. 203,656, now Patent No. 3,266,423, described various forms of control wire dispenser for such a missle in which a generally-cylindrical hollow multi-layer main Winding of the control wire is wound on a cylindrical former for mounting in the missile body, the trailing end of the main winding being of tapering, for example frustoconical external form, and one or more auxiliary coils which do not conform to the general helical winding pattern of the main winding, and which comprise the lastwound few yards of control 'wire stored in the dispenser which will be withdrawn first from the dispenser when the missile is launched, are secured to the main winding, either coaxially therewith on or adjacent to the tapered rear end thereof, or as a separate pancake-like Winding whose coil or coils are secured by a rupturable connection on one side of the outer cylindrical surface of the main winding. These auxiliary coils become released relatively freely immediately after the missile has been launched and allow the missile to make an extremely abrupt change of course immediately after launching, for example through a complete right angle, without hindering the required change of course or the free withdrawal of control wire from the dispenser.

The present invention is concerned with providing an improved construction of control wire dispenser equipped with such auxiliary coils.

According to the present invention, in a control wire dispenser for a guided missile of the type specified a main winding of control wire of cylindrical external form having a rear end portion of non-tapering external form is wound on a cylindrical hollow former, and an auxiliary winding comprising one or more auxiliary coils which do not conform to the generally helical winding pattern of the main winding and which comprises the last-wound few yards of control wire stored in the dispenser which will be withdrawn first from the dispenser when the missile is launched, is wound on an annular support at the rear end of the former.

The main winding and/or the auxiliary winding is preferably secured in position by a readily-rupturable connection, for example a layer of resin-bonded paper.

Thus in one form of the invention the cylindrical former is provided at its rear end with an axially-projecting extension flange at its rear end which is of generally-tapered external form, the flange constituting the annular support for the auxiliary winding and being formed with a series "ice of axially-spaced external steps, ribs, serrations or other locating means by which the turns of the auxiliary winding are located.

In another form of the invention the auxiliary winding is supported on a separate annular support which is attached to the rear end of the cylindrical former of the main winding. For example the coils of the auxiliary winding may be secured by a rupturable connection to one flat face of an annular laminate whose other flat face is firmly attached to the rear end of the cylindrical former of the main winding.

The invention may be carried into practice in various ways but two specific embodiments will nOW be described of way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of one construction of control wire dispenser embodying the invention,

FIGURE 2 is a longitudinal section through the dispenser of FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 3 is a side view of a guided missile incorporating the dispenser of FIGURES l and 2,

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of a modified construction of control wire dispenser embodying the invention,

FIGURE 5 is a longitudinal section through the dispenser of FIGURE 4, and

FIGURE 6 is a side view of a guided missile incorporating the dispenser of FIGURES 4 and 5.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG- URES l to 3, a control wire dispenser 16 for a guided missile 11 of the type specified comprises a cast aluminium former 12 of generally hollow cylindrical form, provided with integral radial flanges 13 and 14 at its two ends defining a circumferential trough in which the main winding 15 of multi-core insulated control wire is located. The main winding 15 comprises a multi-layer helical winding having a generally cylindrical external surface. After the penultimate layer of the main winding has been wound, it is painted with a coat of synthetic resin varnish. The final layer of control wire is then wound and painted with varnish, after which an outer layer 16 of tissue paper is wound around the completed winding to cover it whilst the varnish is still wet, the paper being bonded to the winding by the varnish. The surface of the main winding 15 afforded by the external paper cover 16 is approximately level with the periphery of the radial flanges 13 and 14 at the two ends of the cast aluminium former 12.

At its rear end the cast former 12 carries an auxiliary rearwardly-protruding extension 18 of generally frustoconical external form, which is joined integrally to the radial flange 14 at the outer peripheral margin 14a of the latter. The frusto-conical outer surface of the extension 18, which extends generally at 45 to the axis of the former 12, is of serrated form, being provided with a series of small axially-spaced circumferential grooves or serrations as shown at 19. The control wire leading from the outer end of the main winding 15 is sleeved and this sleeved portion is formed into an auxiliary winding 20, comprising the first few yards of control wire to be pulled from the dispenser after the missile is launched, which is wound on the serrated frusto-conical outer surface 19 of the extension 13 and is secured in position by a readily rupturable connection, for example by a coating of epoxy resin varnish or other adhesive. The successive turns of the helical spiral auxiliary winding 20 lie in and are positioned by the serrations 19 of the extension 18. The length of wire constituting the auxiliary winding 20 will thus be determined by the mean diameter of the frusto-conical extension flange 18 on which it is wound, and by the axial pitch of the circumferential serrations 19. An outer covering of tissue paper may be bonded to the exterior of the auxiliary winding 20 by the resin varnish coating if required.

This construction has the advantage that the dispenser spool 12 can be fully wound with both the main winding 15 and the auxiliary winding 20 in a single winding operation, and operates satisfactorily in practice up to a limited angle of change of course of the missile after launching, the limiting value of this angle being dependent upon the pull-off load involved and the angle of the conical flange.

The second embodiment of the invention is intended to overcome this difficulty and to provide certain other advantages. As shown in FIGURES 4 to 6 a cast or spun aluminium former 30 is used which is generally similar to the former 12 of the preceding embodiment and has radial flanges 31 and 32 at its rear and front ends respectively, but which does not have an integral frusto-conical serrated rear extension. Instead, the radial flange 31 at the rear end of the cast cylindrical former extends radially inwardly of the former wall at 33 as well as radially outwardly, affording a flat annular end face upon which can be mounted a separate supporting ring 35 carrying the auxiliary winding 36.

This supporting ring 35 comprises a generally flat annular laminate to one face of which the auxiliary winding 36 is applied and held in position by stitching, and the opposite face of which is abutted against the end face of the flange 31, 33 of the cylindrical former 30 to which the annular laminate 35 is bolted. The auxiliary winding 36 in this case consists of a flattened multi-turn helical winding whose generally circular loops overlie and partially overlap one another, as shown .in FIGURE 4, the flattened winding 36 conforming in profile to the circular form of the face of the annular support 35 to which it is attached. The annular support 35 is formed with coaxial inner and outer rings of spaced holes 37 and 38, and the individual loops of the flattened helical auxiliary winding 36 are stitched to the annular support 35 by means of cotton thread which passes through the rings of holes 37 and 38 and secure the individual turns. There are four individual stitches per loop of the auxiliary winding 36, and the form of the stitching is such that when the stitches securing one loop are ruptured this will not affect the security of the stitches securing the adjacent loop of the winding 36. After the stitching has been completed, it is secured by the application of a resin coating, for example of epoxy resin, to the cotton stitching exposed at the rear face of the flat annular support 35.

Thus it will be seen that when the control wire 40 leading from the end of the auxiliary winding 36 is subjected to a sufficient tensioning, the stitches securing the auxiliary winding 36 will rupture one after another and the successive loops of the flattened helical auxiliary winding 36 will be pulled off the annular support 35 and will straighten out rearwardly behind the dispenser. The angle at which the control wire is pulled off can diverge by as much as from the direction of flight of the missile without introducing any difltculties in the release of the auxiliary winding.

What we claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A control wire dispenser for a guided missile, which comprises a length of control wire, a hollow cylindrical former, a generally helical main winding of the control wire of cylindrical external form wound on the former, a supporting ring attached to one end of the former and having a generally flat end surface facing away from the former, a generally helical auxiliary winding of the control wire comprising loops flatly attached in a circle to said flat end surface of said supporting ring and individually secured thereto by rupturable stitching, the length of control wire having a trailing end leading away from one end of the auxiliary winding and each loop of the auxiliary winding partially overlapping the adjacent loop more remote from the said trailing end.

2. A control wire dispenser as claimed in claim 1 in which each loop of said auxiliary winding is attached to the supporting ring by stitching at four places distributed around the loop.

3. A control wire dispenser as claimed in claim 1 in which the cylindrical former includes at one end an integral radially-extending flange having an axially-facing annular end surface and in which said supporting ring is secured to said end surface of said integral flange.

4. A control wire dispenser as claimed in claim 1 in which the supporting ring has coaxial circular outer and inner edges and in which the circle of loops constituting the auxiliary winding are located within limits defined by said outer and inner edges of the supporting ring.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 764,606 7/1904 Land 242 3,156,185 11/1964 Hermann et al. 244-14 X 3,163,711 12/1964 Schindler 24414 X 3,266,423 8/1966 Simpson 24414 X BENJAMIN A. BORCHELT, Primary Examiner,

M. F. HUBLER, Assistant Examiner, 

1. A CONTROL WIRE DISPENSER FOR A GUIDED MISSILE, WHICH COMPRISES A LENGTH OF CONTROL WIRE, A HOLLOW CYLINDRICAL FORMER, A GENERALLY HELICAL MAIN WINDING OF THE CONTROL WIRE OF CYLINDRICAL EXTERNAL FORM WOUND ON THE FORMER, A SUPPORTING RING ATTACHED TO ONE END OF THE FORMER AND HAVING A GENERALLY FLAT END SURFACE FACING AWAY FROM THE FORMER, A GENERALLY HELICAL AUXILIARY WINDING OF THE CONTROL WIRE COMPRISING LOOPS FLATLY ATTACHED IN A CIRCLE TO SAID FLAT END SURFACE OF SAID SUPPORTING RING AND INDIVIDUALLY SECURED THERETO BY RUPTURABLE STITCHING, THE LENGTH OF CON- 